Hleidrargaard's Skotta

Around the years 1740 to 1770 lived at Hleidrargaard in Oefjord a farmer named Sigurd Björnsson, who was considered a sensible man, but was of a violent temper. It is said that he once in his younger years, rode westward to the glacier early in the summer to To buy fish. It happened that he and the man from whom he had bought the bought fish, could not agree. This led to a dispute among them, which soon degenerated into a brawl. Sigurd was a strong man, and it was no fun to get under his fists and managed to bring his opponent to the ground beneath him. whereupon he dealt him a few blows. When the opponent When he got up again, he threatened Sigurd and promised him earned reward before the equinox, whereupon he continued on his way went; but Sigurd returned home with his companions and stayed on his farm.

At that time, Krynarstad, the nearest farm to Hleidrargaard, a man named Hall, surnamed »The Starke«. He was a spirit-seeing man and had often seen ghosts and to do with them. It is now said that this hall one evening in the autumn that followed the summer in which Sigurd was came home on his ride, was standing outside in his yard; then he saw a ghost in the form of a girl came along the path; she was small in stature, wore a red bodice, a dark brown skirt, which only reached to the knees, a cap without a tassel, and went into shirt sleeves. When the girl saw Hall, she tried to avoid him, but he stood in her way and asked who she was. She told her that her name was Sigga. He asked where she came from and where she was going She answered: "To Hleidrargaard." "What are you doing there?" "To kill Sigurd Björnsson," she answered. Then she ran off to her way, and sparks flew behind her.

That same evening Sigurd slept in his bed, which was positioned so that a window above. The others who were in the bathroom, were awake. Suddenly Sigurd jumped out of bed and asked: »Who called me?' He was told that no one had called him. He lay down in bed again and fell asleep; but he was hardly asleep when he jumped up again and said that he was now sure someone had called. When he was told that this had not been the case, He went back to bed but could not fall asleep. After he had lain there for a while, he was seen from the window and heard him say: »Oh, that’s where it comes from!« and he changed color. He went to the bathroom door, stood by it, and he was heard saying loudly: "If there is anyone who is with Sigurd Björnsson wants to speak – there he sits!« And with that he pointed with Hand on a poor boy named Hjalmar, who was sitting on a chair The boy from the bathroom door was and wool. Chair down to the floor, where he screamed and rolled in horrible contortions as if he were suffocating; Sigurd fetched a rod and hit the boy all over with it; this made he calmed down a bit and was laid on the bed; there his body swollen and showed signs of impact. The boy got these attacks two or three times a night, and then later from time to time, until he died early in the winter from one of these, and his body was very swollen and bloated and showed clear black marks from the Fingers of the ghost.

After this time, the ghost pursued Sigurd and his children, yes, it even followed all the people at Hleidrargaard. Often ghost-seeing men this girl, the »Hleidrargaards-Skotta«[9] a name she received after her cap, because it stood like a tip on her head. The most common sight was They »cat lichens«[10], as it is called, by attaching themselves to any Crossbeams hung, preferably above the entrance of the houses. Sigurd himself could always protect himself from her, but little by little she killed his cattle, and even the cattle on the neighboring farms were killed. The flesh was always very spotty and blue and completely inedible. She was also accused of having murdered a capable farmer, Sigurd to have killed, because he got a cramping attack and died from it.

When their violence increased to such an extent that it was feared that it would improve significantly, it was fortunate that It is said that from the glacier a beggar named Peter or Glacier Peter, as he was commonly called, came to town. He was a great magician, but only used his art for Good. Sigurd at Hleidrargaard was a good and generous man, and that is why he also gave Peter good support, telling him but at the same time that it was not his homeland, which he was help, because it would have been a ghost to him, the farmer, sent to his neck, which caused great harm to him and others and would probably continue to do so until his life Peter promised that he had already freed him from this devil So one night he went away, took the ghost and tied it to a solid stone at the point between the Strjugsbach and Volde, which is called Varmhage. For a long time now The ghost could not do any harm, but it was often heard howling at night, and people did not dare to pass too close to him; for then they became dizzy and lost their way, even though it was it was broad daylight.

In the years 1806–1810, the priest of Saurbär, Sira Sigurd was called and still lives today, a feed barn near this place, because there are good pastures there. In the first The night the house was in use, a sheep was killed and Then several others were discovered. Then it was discovered that the sheep's bodies were in every respect what those who had previously held the ghost under the hands and it was believed that it had now started again to have a loose hand. Illness and death gradually began began to become common among the sheep all around the Oefjord; This is called the plague, but the superstition that only the ghost to blame has been ingrained in people since ancient times.


Footnotes:

[9] Isl.: skott actually means: tail, also the
Tip of a cap, hence the name »Skotta«, ie a
female ghost wearing a pointed cap.

[10] »Cat lichen« (Isl. fla'kött) consists in weaving the
Legs are woven around a crossbeam and hang from them, the
Head down, while simultaneously holding the jacket, the
Taking off and putting on vest etc.